Scarred by the phenomena of The Da Vinci Code, I tend to be suspicious of any wildly popular books. Sometimes, eventually, I cave into pressure from people whose opinions I trust and discover I have been missing out on something wonderful.
That is not the case with the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. I binge-read these books a couple of years back and felt slightly ill. While the first two books were interesting, I disliked the books completely once the protagonist, Celaena, was unveiled as the lost queen, Aelin. From then on, every fantasy cliche came into play.
I slogged through books 3 and 4, and then decided this series is not for me. Until recently, when I stumbled across a glowing review, I thought maybe I should give this series a chance.
About the book
The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius as war looms on the horizon. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic are at odds with those who don’t.
With her heart sworn to the warrior prince by her side and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past and dark forces become poised to claim her world, the only chance for salvation will lie in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.
In this breathtaking fifth installment of the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, Aelin must choose what—and who—to sacrifice to keep the world of Erilea from breaking apart.
~ Synopsis from goodreads
Empire of Storms: My Review
So, did this book convince me to continue with the series? Short answer: yes.
If you read my review of Queen of Shadows, you’d know I liked the book despite some glaring flaws. This is the same case with Empire of Storms. Despite Maas’ annoying writing tics, I could keep going because the story was fast-moving.
The biggest weakness in this book is the main couple, Aelin and Rowan. God, they are insufferable. I normally empathize a lot with heroines who are as resourceful and enterprising as Aelin is. However, it would have been nice to see a few chinks in her armor.
I want to compare Aelin to Daenerys – a similar character in A Song of Ice and Fire. Daenerys – despite her dragons, her powers, and her lineage, still comes across as human, as someone who can fail and who is wracked by indecision sometimes. Aelin – not so. Aelin is powerful and chosen as a queen. Not only that, in this book, Maas reveals her to be a descendant of an actual goddess. You don’t get more special snowflake than this, folks. Her partnership with the equally powerful Rowan just makes them into a couple I just cannot relate to at all.
The supporting characters fare slightly better. I can’t get myself to warm up to Aedion and Lysandra much. But Dorian remains likable – refreshing to see him play second fiddle to his ex-girlfriend without any ego hang-ups. The star character (to me) is Manon, who is incredibly magnetic, and I loved everything about her story arc (except for one annoying moment when she also turns out to be a lost queen).
Really! When you have two lost queens in a series, you know the author is losing control of the plot.
What made the book enjoyable for me were two surprising characters – Elide and Lorcan. They never made much of an impression on me in Queen of Shadows, but here they are fantastic. The equation between the two was engrossing and reminded me just how good the earlier books in the series were.
The ending is also fabulous. The story ends on a cliffhanger that had me immediately reaching out for the next book in the series – Tower of Dawn.
So, overall, I am still into the series. Not madly in love with it, but I think I have now invested enough time and energy into it that I am now in for the long haul.
What about you? Have you read this series? What are your thoughts on it?
